Control design of power electronic interfaces for optimal performance of renewable energy systems

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Objective: The objective of this project is to develop advanced nonlinear control design methodologies for power electronic interfaces in renewable energy systems with battery/supercapacitor hybrid energy storage. Multiple power converters will be utilized to coordinate the energy flow between the batteries, the supercapacitors, the load, the utility grid and/or the renewable energy sources. Efficient models will be developed to faithfully describe the complex nonlinear dynamics. Based on these models, nonlinear control strategies will be designed for highly efficient, reliable and long lasting energy systems. Intellectual Merits: Power systems with pulse-width-modulated converters are intrinsically nonlinear, and subject to strict input/state constraints and various uncertainties. For systems with hybrid energy storage devices and multiple power converters, the dynamics is more complex. Most existing methods use linearized models and neglect the constraints. This project will develop faithful and tractable nonlinear models, apply advanced nonlinear systems techniques, and develop new theoretical and computational tools for the design of control laws for all the power electronic interfaces involved. Design considerations include safe charging/discharging current/voltage for the batteries, stability, transient dynamics, power factor, total harmonic distortion, ripple reduction, etc. Experimental systems will be constructed to validate the design methods. Broader Impact: Control design methodologies developed in this project will help the power and energy industry to construct renewable energy systems with improved efficiency, reliability, longer lifetime and lower cost. The research results will be disseminated in publications in power and energy communities as well as in control systems community. Undergraduate and graduate students will be trained to construct various power converters, to design and implement feedback laws for optimal performances. They will be involved in the construction of an experimental solar system, with multiple power electronic interfaces. One female student and one African American student will be working on the project. They will be trained as productive forces for the power and energy industry.